Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd, which said last month it reached a $500 million settlement with the US food and drug administration (FDA) for falsifying data and selling substandard drugs, received support from a top government official amid further setbacks on Friday, which included the Supreme Court admitting a petition seeking cancellation of its manufacturing licence and the prosecution of directors.

Jagdish Prasad, director general of health services, said the issue had been unnecessarily highlighted and that the company’s drugs were not substandard.

“Ranbaxy is a reputed company and misconceptions have been created regarding it,” he said in an interview. The Directorate General of Health Services is part of the health ministry.

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